New forest management approaches to steep hills

Abstract

The objectives of the project were the identification of silvicultural and harvesting techniques to manage post-harvest erosion impacts from landslides and debris flows on high risk sites. By 2013, knowledge about silvicultural and harvesting techniques for use on high risk sites will have been transferred to forest managers providing them with a broader range of options for managing the risk of erosion from landslides and debris flows on such sites.

The specific objectives of the work were to:

• Review information on the nature of the steepland forest harvesting problem, definition of erodible steepland terrain, the benefits of forestry, current forest management and harvesting practice, economics of production on steep terrain, mechanics of slope stability, drivers for erosion problems; • Identify innovative approaches to steepland forest management and harvesting locally and internationally; • Focus on forest infrastructure, silvicultural and harvesting systems, hazard identification and offsite management options.